A General Electric retiree is endowing a $100,000 scholarship fund at his alma mater, Union College, for undergraduates from the city and neighboring Niskayuna, college officials said.
The gift was endowed by Burton B. Delack, a 1936 graduate of the college, and his family. It was named for Delack and his late wife, Violet.
Students from Schenectady and Niskayuna will be given preference for the scholarship, which will be used to defray a portion of the $41,595 that Union charges students for tuition, room and fees.
“We are grateful, once again, to the Delack family for their generosity,” said college spokesman Phil Wajda. “We are especially thankful that our students from Schenectady and Niskayuna will have an opportunity to take advantage of this gift.”
Delack spent 37 years with GE before retiring in 1973. In 2004, he endowed Delack House, a college-owned student residence.
It's the second donation to a Schenectady college in less than a month.
In January, Schenectady County Community College Foundation announced a bequest of $1 million from the estate of Helen Begley, widow of one of the college's early supporters.
It is the largest gift in the college's history.
Owen M. Begley was instrumental in converting the former Hotel Van Curler into the community college.